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Michigan Forces Business Owners Into Public Sector Unions
WSJ online ^ | DEC 26, 2009 | PATRICK J. WRIGHT AND MICHAEL D. JAHR

Posted on 12/26/2009 4:23:11 AM PST by radar101

Michelle Berry runs a private day-care service from her home on the outskirts of this city, the birthplace of General Motors. "The Berry Patch," as she calls the service, features overstuffed purple gorillas, giant cartoon murals, and a playroom covered in Astroturf. Her clients are mostly low-income parents who need child care to keep their jobs in a city that now has a 26% unemployment rate.

Ms. Berry owns her own business—yet the Michigan Department of Human Services claims she is a government employee and union member. The agency thus withholds union dues from the child-care subsidies it sends to her on behalf of her low-income clients. Those dues are funneled to a public-employee union that claims to represent her. The situation is crazy—and it's happening elsewhere in the country.

A year ago in December, Ms. Berry and more than 40,000 other home-based day care providers statewide were suddenly informed they were members of Child Care Providers Together Michigan—a union created in 2006 by the United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The union had won a certification election conducted by mail under the auspices of the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. In that election only 6,000 day-care providers voted. The pro-labor vote turned out.

Many of the state's other 34,000 day-care providers never even realized what was going on. Ms. Berry tells us she was "shocked" to find out she was suddenly in a union. The real dirty work, however, had been done when the state created an "employer" for the union to "organize" against

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: bluestates; daycare; michiganunions; powergrab; unions
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1 posted on 12/26/2009 4:23:12 AM PST by radar101
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To: radar101

“She ain’t seen nothin’ yet”


2 posted on 12/26/2009 4:24:50 AM PST by tommyboy (We'll do it live)
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To: radar101

Stop deducting union dues from paychecks and force the unions to do their own collecting. The collapse will begin almost immediately.


3 posted on 12/26/2009 4:29:38 AM PST by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: radar101; informavoracious; larose; RJR_fan; Prospero; Conservative Vermont Vet; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.

4 posted on 12/26/2009 4:31:15 AM PST by narses ('in an odd way this is cheering news!'.)
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To: cripplecreek
force the unions to do their own collecting. The collapse will begin almost immediately.

Right. So many kneecaps so little time...

5 posted on 12/26/2009 4:32:01 AM PST by gov_bean_ counter (Sarah Palin - For such a time as this)
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To: radar101

Sickening. Maddening. How can this be stopped???


6 posted on 12/26/2009 4:45:35 AM PST by Freedom'sWorthIt (Ronald Reagan: If we ever forget that we're one nation under God,then we'll be a nation gone under.")
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To: radar101
The agency thus withholds union dues from the child-care subsidies it sends to her on behalf of her low-income clients.

She should immediately stop accepting these subsidies. Perhaps then her low income clients will stop voting for liberals who impose these types of restrictions as a result.

7 posted on 12/26/2009 4:49:29 AM PST by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: radar101

Might as well screw up what’s left of the state.


8 posted on 12/26/2009 5:04:27 AM PST by TPOOH (I wish I could have been Jerry Reed.)
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To: Freedom'sWorthIt

Unions survive because they always have someone else doing the collection of dues for them. There is no good reason an employer should be forced to collect the money that is used against them.

Detroit mayor, Dave Bing has stopped deducting union dues from the paychecks of some city workers and the union is suing him because they can’t seem to get the money out of their members.


9 posted on 12/26/2009 5:06:16 AM PST by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: radar101

Theft, pure and simple.

Michigan is a hellhole that must be destroyed. It is happening, but the rate is too slow


10 posted on 12/26/2009 5:09:03 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Lukenbach Texas is barely there)
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To: pnh102

I’d guess from the description of her customers that without the subsidies there is no business.


11 posted on 12/26/2009 5:18:00 AM PST by wiggen (Never in the history of our great country have the people had less representation than they do today)
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To: Freedom'sWorthIt

No wonder the Republican candidate for governor is way ahead in all polls. At least we can hope if the Dems are thrown out there that the new leadership will make some dramatic changes.


12 posted on 12/26/2009 5:18:25 AM PST by TNCMAXQ
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To: bert

self inflicted. heres a phrase i don’t think i’ve seen before;Suicide by Government.


13 posted on 12/26/2009 5:19:30 AM PST by wiggen (Never in the history of our great country have the people had less representation than they do today)
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To: bert

What kind of statement is that? There are real people who live in Michigan. That is like saying “I hope your house burns down? Gee give us a break.


14 posted on 12/26/2009 5:21:24 AM PST by 70th Division (I love my country but fear my government!)
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To: wiggen
Suicide by Government

bump

15 posted on 12/26/2009 5:25:26 AM PST by VRW Conspirator (I thought I was a genius - I am just a smart-aleck)
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To: wiggen
I’d guess from the description of her customers that without the subsidies there is no business.

Go figure. This type of thing is the ultimate slap in the face in what is essentially a scheme to redistribute wealth. The beneficiaries of this wealth transfer of course go and vote for more liberal policies that cause harm to those who create wealth.

If this is that much of a problem, then sadly more "going Galt" will have to be done.

16 posted on 12/26/2009 5:25:31 AM PST by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: VRW Conspirator

wow,i’ve been posting for years and i believe that’s my first bump! thank you.


17 posted on 12/26/2009 5:32:40 AM PST by wiggen (Never in the history of our great country have the people had less representation than they do today)
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To: bmwcyle

I wonder who sits around all day finding new reasons to “need” a union?


18 posted on 12/26/2009 5:35:36 AM PST by Apple Blossom (Politicians are like diapers, they both need changed regularly, and for the same reason.)
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To: pnh102

I’m not sure what can be done but lets not forget that many families have to work 2 jobs to make ends meet. Without some help those families which are getting just a little aid would be getting a whole lot more. I’d much rather see them get help this way. I think that’s what you were referring to? If the redistribution comment was directed towards the government complicity in taking from the people running these centers to help out unions then i’d say that in my eyes this scheme is nothing more than theft and the people that perpetrated it behind legal cover should be forced to make restitution to the business people.


19 posted on 12/26/2009 5:39:13 AM PST by wiggen (Never in the history of our great country have the people had less representation than they do today)
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To: cripplecreek

The same thing could be said of the United Way. It survives because corporations collect money through payroll deductions. Plus many corporations put tremendous pressure on employees and executives to give the “fair share” to the United Way. Participation in United Way is a requirement in some private sector organizations for career mobility.

Perhaps payroll deductions should be ended for all external organizations. Let unions, charities and the US government (taxes and savings bonds) deal directly with the individual outside the workplace.


20 posted on 12/26/2009 5:55:32 AM PST by Soul of the South (When times are tough the tough get going.)
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